Free After the Fall: Jason's Tale by David E. Nees Page B

listened
carefully; there were more sounds, definitely shots being fired.
    He doused his campfire, grabbed his binoculars, and ran back
down the two-track to a switchback where there was a break in the trees. The
house was obscured but he could see two old pickup trucks in the front area. It
was clear the gunfire was coming from the house.
    Jason ran back to his camp, unstrapped his rifle, put a
magazine in it, put three extra loaded magazines in his pocket, strapped on his
pistol holster and set out on a run down the road, hoping he would not be too
late. He ran until his lungs gave out, walked until he recovered, and started
running again. At the bottom of the slope, he cut through some fields using a
swath of woods to shield him from the house. The gunfire ended and before he
reached the house he heard the trucks leaving.
    At the edge of the woods, Jason stopped and scanned the
house; no sign of anyone. With great caution, he approached the rear corner and
tried the back door. It was locked. He went around to the front. The windows
were shot out and the door was broken and hanging open. Crouching, with his
rifle at ready he slowly entered the house.
    He listened. There was no sound from inside. The furniture
was knocked about and overturned. Creeping further into the house, he found
Sam’s body in the hallway on the way to the kitchen. He had been shot multiple
times. Blood was spattered everywhere. A pool of blood seeped out from under
his body. Jason grimaced as his stomach heaved. It had been some years since he
had seen a dead body, especially a friend. Tears welled up in his eyes. He
brushed them away and ventured further into the house looking for Judy. The
kitchen was ransacked, the table was overturned. Cabinets were torn open and
emptied. He found a part of Judy’s dress torn and lying on the floor but he
could not find her.
    They’ve taken her, she’s alive! Then his face clouded
as he thought about how they might treat her. The pantry was emptied. The
basement where Judy kept the canned food had been discovered and stripped. The
liquor cabinet, Sam’s pride, was empty. Jason could not find any other sign of
Judy in the house. He took a sheet from the bedroom and covered Sam.
    I’ll find her, Sam. I’ll get her back and make them pay
for…this. He couldn’t find a word to describe it.
    He had to try to catch up to them. How far had they gone?
His mind was filled with grim thoughts of what was coming. He went to the well
in the yard and pumped cold water over his head, took a long drink and
shouldered his rifle. Then he set off at a trot on the road going south.
    Jason ran for about an hour when he saw smoke ahead. He
veered off the road and worked his way through the fields and hedge rows,
moving more carefully as he got closer. Finally he stopped and lay down at the
edge of an overgrown field. He was about 60 yards from the encampment, located
in the yard of a partially burned farmhouse. Tents were spread around the yard.
Some pickups and jeeps were parked in the grass, interspersed with a few
motorcycles; all were older models that the gang had gotten running. The farm
house still stood. The roof was intact. People—mostly men—were moving in and
out of the house. Fires were being set in the yard and food being cooked. On
the porch were some of the spoils from Sam and Judy’s house. From the looks of
it, the group was getting ready to party and feast, enjoying what they had
stolen from Sam and Judy.
    Evening approached and Jason lay in his hide. Got to wait
till dark. He had not located Judy. He hoped she was not in the house
because he couldn’t see how he could get her out with either of them surviving.
    The drinking started. The sounds grew louder as more alcohol
was consumed. Soon the scene became raucous and violent. Drunken scuffles broke
out amongst the men. Jason heard the females scream as the men manhandled them.
The screams and squeals became a background to the overall din of